the week before this one ended kind of rough. after not getting a job that i was really thirsting for, i had sort of a breakdown. a lot of questions were swirling about my head and i felt really unsteady. after a long talk and long hug, i entered this week on a more sure foot. not necessarily sure of my professional future, but at least my personal life is right where it should be.

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


photo a day: spoon. i happen to love spoons almost as much as i love bowls and these spoons are particularly sexy. i got them from my housewarming giftcard party. well i should say, i used a Bed Bath & Beyond giftcard to purchase these myself back in 2007. i hate the forks in the set though.


Monday


photo a day: simple. these simple pleasure. just cause i felt like it... a Mexican coke and oatmeal creme pie for dinner. i'm an adult and i can live with my decisions. a little.


Tuesday


photo a day: arrows. a lot of Marc train emergency exits.


Wednesday

back at Bangkok Joe's! met a soRhor there for lunch and decided to try something new. subsequently, also decided to stick to what i know works.


Thursday


definitely the highlight of my week. date night with my handsome, loving, supportive, charming, witty, 15 awesome facial expressions, sometimes annoying, always sarcastic, ratchet music listening, sci-fi entertainment loving, intellectual glasses wearing, Mr. Nice Watch, stickler for grammar but not so much for punctuality boyfriend. the night was magical and he did everything in his power to put a smile on my face, including over-tipping the waitress. she deserved it.


Friday


photo a day: faces. these cute faces are my babies! well, not really. they are my cousin's eldest (my heart) and youngest. and since my cousin and i grew up practically like sisters, her kids are so special to me. they were at my mother's house this day and i got to spend time with them before my mother, her bf, my sister, and i went to the movies to see Sparkle, which was cute but i could've waited for the DVD.


Saturday

no picture this day. why? i was chillaxing cleaning my apartment. yeah.

right when i thought things were going to start looking up, i'm reminded that i am not completely in control. and i hate not being in control. it makes me feel insignificant. also annoying are the clichés... it'll happen soon... it just wasn't for you... just keep at it... with your qualifications... (-__-) they mean well and i appreciate them for it, but it's getting harder and harder to not feel hopeless.

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


photo a day: logo. i've never had this drink before (it was sitting in my neighbor's recycling bin) but i remember it being very popular in undergrad with the ladies because it came in cute packaging and fruity flavors.


Monday


photo a day: writing. everyone loves my handwriting and i used to write and send letters all the time. now, i rarely pick up a pen... but i can type really fast. i miss blue ink.


Tuesday


this is a wedding dress. pretty dope and unique. i want a nontraditional wedding dress with some color. not to this extent, but i admire her style.


Wednesday


photo a day: glasses. in undergrad, my friends would always call me the girl from Signs. i never saw the movie, but apparently she had a habit of leaving bottles of half-consumed water all around the house, which ended up saving them in the end. i did the same thing in my dorm room and i still do the same thing. i just cannot finish a glass of water fully and will leave cups all over my nightstand.


Thursday


photo a day: messy. there was an ice cream social at my job this week with some premium flavors and topping going on. i thoroughly enjoyed some chocolate fudge brownie and cookies and cream with warm praline topping.


Friday


The Gathering in Baltimore is a big food truck rally where people can come out and get food, treats, and drinks from the city's finest all in one place. i went with my homegirl and had a decadent crabcake cone from Gypsy Queen Café that i've been craving for months! i'm definitely going back as i spied other trucks i want to sample.


Saturday


photo a day: purple. walking past my neighbor's house, i peeped some chili peppers and... an eggplant?! no way! right there on a city street in the window was fresh produce. pretty damn cool.

happy August! the summer is on its last leg, although i didn't really do much to enjoy it. while most of my friends spent it at festivals and concerts and traveling, i spent it making a meager wage at a temp job... that i'm very grateful to have, might i add. paying my bills is a joy, even though i have no money leftover to have any actual fun. speaking of last leg, the Olympics were somewhat amazing! i say "somewhat" because NBC sports absolutely sucks! look, i get it, the goal of a network is to keep people watching and garner ratings, but how dare you make me sit through four hours of uninteresting events just to catch thirty minutes of the main event! i was up wayyyy past my bedtime and avoided all types of media just to catch certain historical moments. Khaaaaan!

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


i've been in the business of making agua frescas this summer. mostly because my eyes are bigger than my stomach when i see delectable fruits at the farmers market. then i get home and realize i have a real aversion to the texture of most fruits. they're too soft and squishy most times, which is why i gravitate towards apples and bananas. the solution to being seduced by the purple sweet plums? make juice. this concoction here is puréed plums strained and mixed with fresh water and honey. i still have to figure out what to do with all the peaches i bought...


Monday


photo a day: calm. faced with a very important interview the next day for a job i would do questionable acts for without question, i needed a big ole glass of this to calm my anxieties and put me to bed. pray for me? thanks.


Tuesday


this is the style i wish i could recreate in my apartment. soon...


Wednesday


photo a day: outside. hello August. this is the golden time of day. wish i could've captured the morning light, but there was none! for the first time this summer. it'll be sweater season before we know it.


Thursday


photo a day: one. on the other end of the summer spectrum, the opposite of agua fresca-ing is roasting just about everything. this onion was so effing glorious! just an onion, sliced in half, tossed with olive oil, salt, and pepper transforms after sun bathing in the oven for 25 minutes. it's a sweeter, tanner version of its usual self.


Friday


Friday lunch with my coworkers. i introduced them to my fave, Bangkok Joe's. if you love Thai and live in DC, you must try it, if only for the sexy bowls. you know i love me a sexy bowl!


Saturday


photo a day: somewhere i sat. on my block, gazing at the large moon. it looks like one of the street lights, doesn't it?

another summer week in the books! i spent it being very jealous of one of my homegirls. y'all know how i am about my birthday and her's was this past week. i guess i'm not the only person with birthday anxieties because she said "screw that!", hopped on a plane with her boyfriend, and spend 3 days in Cabo San Lucas. they spent most of it bickering like an old married couple, but the pictures she posted showed nothing but tranquil days lounging on the beach, eating brunch on a boat, and horseback riding. i'm jealous. and totally stealing the idea.

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


as i mentioned last week, it was Artscape Weekend in Baltimore. probably the coolest thing about the city. it's a total weird fest with tons of art, jewelry, and clothes for sale, exhibits, free plays and dances, tons of food and music concerts. i just went for the food this year, but that's just me.


Monday


this is a regular size bag of potato chips. had they been Utz, they'd probably be 75¢. i paid $2 for this bag from a fru fru sandwich shop in Union Station. i regret nothing.


Tuesday


photo a day: mirror. i love my apartment. it's filled with all sorts of cute details and tons of character. case in point, the mirrors in my bathroom are screwed in and capped with these lovely glass flowers.


Wednesday


i don't like to broadcast my healthy eating habits because then people would be like "oh! you're trying to lose weight?" and i'd have to explain to them that i'm perfectly healthy, just not skinny. shits awkward. but, i was on a fruit and veggie kick last week, trying to undo the week of latte/croissant breakfasting from the week before. but Wednesday night, hump day found me with no inspiration for dinner. then this happened. then gravy fries happen. and that's all i can say about that.


Thursday


photo a day: sunshine. another skygram from my view on the Marc train. it's a daily inspiration and solidifies my love of train-riding.


Friday


Friday lunch with my coworkers. i look forward to this day on Tuesday when i'm eating reheated leftovers from Sunday. it gets me through to know i'll be rewarded with meals like this Seafood Fra Diavolo. and cupcakes. those happened again too.


Saturday


Saturday was spent with my boyfriend, doing what Brits do... yelling chants at a soccer game. this is a Tottenham-Liverpool exhibition in Baltimore. i find it wild that two England teams came all the way to M&T Bank stadium to play soccer, but there were over 40K people there. my bf let me know that if we were in England, it would be twice and many people, twice as loud, and twice as much pandemonium.

it's Artscape weekend here in Baltimore. it's also rainy and unseasonably cool here in Baltimore. quel dommage. it actually was really cloudy and dreary for most of the week and that made me SAD. but, anywho, on to the pictures. i didn't take many this week and i was feeling particularly uninspired with my stagnant eating, sleeping, and working schedule. i must snap out of it!

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


photo a day: finger - my sorority sign. did i tell you i was in a sorority? oh, well, yeah... i am in a sorority. Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Iiiiiincorporated! to be exact. furthermore, my chapter sorors were down in New Orleans for Boule and that mad me extra SAD to have missed it and the food and fun... man!


Monday


photo a day: sign. i'm a Capricorn. i'm not too much into astrology, but i do find some coincidences to be intriguing.


Tuesday


photo a day: my addiction. you already know. but, to be more specific, my NEW addiction is a toasted croissant dipped into my whole milk mocha for breakfast. my waistline hates me for it so i'll be on a fresh fruit only kick for breakfast until further notice.


Wednesday


photo a day: plate. i show what's on my plate all the time, so here is just a close-up of the "rustic" detailing. BTW, this pasta is made with pancetta and... egg yolk. zOMG carbonara heaven!


Thursday


photo a day: animal/insect/pet. the DC pigeon. a rare brown one. they're thugs, just like the squirrels. they stand right next to you in the food truck line at lunch.


Friday


photo a day: eyes. this is my sleepy time look, but for authenticity, imagine my eyebrows looking like caterpillars, as they do 62% of the time.


Saturday


photo a day: 9 o'clock - you already know! cleaning off my DVR and only moving from the bed to forage for food. BTW, have you seen Take Me Out? when i first saw the premise for it, my feminist Spidey senses went off... 30 gorgeous women vying for the attention of one scruffy man?! but, it's actually good. the women are beautiful, funny, smart, and in total control. many a douchebag has left without a date. check it out! i'm glad i did.

totally missed a week. and what had happened was... i was just tuckered out. and lazy. what else is new? i actually had a fun-filled week and weekend and kept putting off later and later on Sunday. next thing i knew, it was Tuesday. triflin'.

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


#NaturalMoment - my boyfriend has a secret crush on my grooming habits and it manifests itself in surprise divots in my hair butters and body creams. it's his way of complimenting me... stealing my beauty butters.


Monday


i didn't post any pictures on this day. i have no idea why... must have something to do with me being called a "nigger" by a homeless looking Santa Claus in Starbucks...


Tuesday


riding on the Marc train to and from work, i see some amazing sights. the mist in the mornings, the graffiti under bridges, and the clouds during the evening... just stunning. i don't know if it has anything to do with being so close to the airport, but the clouds sit so low, i swear the sky is falling.


Wednesday


here is some of the graffiti wall art.


Thursday


photo a day: texture - as i've gotten older, i've fallen in love with the texture of runny egg yolks. something we were always warned against as children, i was previously squeamish about yolks and would only eat eggs scrambled. one day, out to eat with my old roommate, who always loved a rare steak and sunny side up eggs for brunch, i was tempted to try it and have been hooked ever since. now, i put a fried egg atop anything... warm salads, pasta, grilled meat, and it's a great excuse to make hash!


Friday


i have to say that i think Friday the 13th typically brings me good luck. i had a great day and was in the best of moods. not to mention, Fridays i have lunch dates with my coworkers. this is a simple and unassuming miso soup from a hole-in-the-wall sushi carry-out. followed by...


a trip to Starbucks for a free sampling of their new beverages, Refreshers. i got the Very Berry Hibiscus flavor, all while watching my back for Racist Santa. the day was topped off with...


cupcakes! we weren't even supposed to get cupcakes because we only had fifteen minutes and the line at Georgetown Cupcake is notoriously long. so what?! i waited nearly 45 minutes for this delectable beauty and i regret nothing.


Saturday


since my boyfriend stole half of my stash, i took the opportunity to re-up on some of my staples. the best news?? my mommy treated me to these hair goodies! take that, Racist Santa!

this first week of July was too hot! the weather consistently passed the 100°F mark and the humidity... off the charts! that being said, i kind of enjoyed it. i didn't do anything for the Fourth of July, but i didn't really want to. it was nice having a day off in the middle of the week. i spent some of it with my bf, some of it shopping with a friend, and the rest of it with the television, LOL! to top it all off, i think i finally have my commute to a T! i am a master of the Marc.

follow me on Instagr.am @_sarah_smile, same as Twitter

Sunday


Sunday Brunch at City Cafe, of course, LOL. i should take stock out on this place... this heavenly salmon BLT was only made better by my suggestion to add in a fried egg. crazy good!


Monday


photo a day: busy. i don't trust any Starbucks that isn't busy. this isn't a long wait, BTW... just 5 minutes, tops. that's key. if it's busy but slow, walk away.


Tuesday


Tuesday night, i was so excited to be off for Fourth of July the next day, instead of passing out at 10.30p, i passed out at 11.30p. Thug life.


Wednesday


photo a day: fun. No fun on my block. it was a ghost town! everyone was gone for the Fourth.


Thursday


cloudy skies. praying for rain and relief from these heat advisories.


Friday


Friday night dinner. using the last of my roast chicken, i made some chorizo refried beans and pineapple salsa to concoct a slammin taco! then, i washed it all down with some watermelon ginger agua fresca. so good, i burned a takeout menu as sacrifice.


Saturday


photo a day: garden. judge me. i let my herbs go. i didn't have the time/energy to repot it, turn over the soil, add Miracle Gro, or even remember to water it. i am so sad, but i do plan to regenerate it, probably next weekend. i've got my eye on some herbs at the farmer's market...